Wood seasoning plants



Jan. 22, 1963 G. L. AHLSTEDT 3,074,180

woon SEASONING PLANTS Filed June 19, 1959 y 2 7 /2 r1 3 f 3 L I v JINVENTOR, Gunnar Lennon Ah/sled/ I by Attorney Elite tatcs Patent3,074,180 WOOD SEASONING PLANTS Gnnnar Lennart Ahistedt, Ornskoldsvik,Sweden, assignor to M0 och Domsjii Aktiebolag, a corporation of SwedenFiled June 19, 1959, Ser. No. 821,574 Claims priority, applicationSweden June 23, 1958 4 Claims. ((31. 34-213) The present inventionrelates to improvements in a wood seasoning plant of the type operatingwith heated air and in which the wood, suitably in the form of bundles,is introduced at one end of the plant and is moved by a conveyor to theother end thereof, where it is withdrawn.

One main characterizing feature of the invention comprises closableopenings for the introduction and withdrawal of the wood into and fromthe seasoning plant, respectively, which are provided in the roof of theplant.

The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of one constructional :form of thewood seasoning plant;

BIG. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

In the case illustrated, the wood seasoning plant comprises arectangular shed having lateral walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 and a roof 5. Theinterior of the shed is divided up by partitions 6 into several dryingcompartments. Each drying compartment contains means known per seserving for conveying wood bundles 7 from one end of the compartment tothe other end. The conveying means may be in the form, for example, ofwood-bundle receiving carriages, or trucks, moving along rails 17 withinthe drying compartment, or of a belt conveyor or the like.

The drying of the wood is performed by means of heated air which iscaused to circulate through each drying compartment. From thismoisture-loaded air a certain proportion, in a well-known manner, iswithdrawn continually to be utilized for pro-heating replacement airwhich is introduced into the drying compartment.

The air circulates through each drying compartment, in a directionopposite tothat of the wood movement, from the tunnel through which thewood bundles 7 move and which is bounded by an interior wall orpartition 8, and into a passageway 9 containing heaters 10 (such asradiators) and fans 11, and thence back into the drying tunnel. In orderto enable the flow of air to circulate, the partitions or walls 8 do notextend as far as the walls of the shed but terminate in a suitablyspaced relation thereto. Free spaces 12 and 13 are provided at the endsof each drying tunnel as necessary for the introduction and withdrawalof the wood bundles, which operations are performed, in accordance withthe invention, through openings 14 and 15 in the root of the shed. Theseopenings may be closed by suitable covers 16 which may be hinged, forexample.

Where, as in the case here illustrated, the shed is divided into severaldrying compartments, it is suitable to arrange the whole assembly insuch a way that the lateral passageways 9 associated with two adjacentdrying compartments are disposed close to each other on either side ofone common partition 6. In this way, the favorable result is gained thatthe controls and the regulating means for the heaters and fans 11 of twosuch drying compartments may be disposed at one common locality, thusproviding for a certain degree of simplification. By arranging thepassageways 9 laterally of the actual drying tunnels or conveyance pathsfor the wood, the additional 2 result is attained that the height of theseasoning plant is minimized, which is of importance in connection withthe proposed introduction and withdrawal of the wood bundles 7 byhoisting gear.

By the arrangement of a wood seasoning plant as described, a series ofimportant advantages are obtained. The openings in the roof for.handling the wood bundles 7 involve the possibility of introducing andwithdrawing the bundles by the use of any suitable hoisting gear, suchas an overhead traversing crane, and placing the same anywhere outsidethe seasoning plant. Thus, in contrast to previously known seasoningplants of the kind specified, the arrangement is not confined to the useof railway tracks for the external handling.

It is of no importance where the ground level is situated. Thus it maybe lower at one side of the shed and higher at the other side thereof.Incidentally, it may even be situated throughout at the roof-level ofthe shed, i.e. so that the shed is entirely buried in the ground andgood heat insulating characteristics will be obtained without any extracost, as well as enabling the roof to serve as a support for otherauxiliaries, as necessary.

The provision of the feed and discharge ports 14 and 15 for the woodbundles in the shed roof enables the use of closure members in the formof hinged covers 16 which are adapted in their lowered position to sealthe roof openings by gravity, thus avoiding any need for specialhand-operated eccentric locking devices or the like.

In the course of wood bundles being introduced into, or withdrawn from,any one of the drying compartments, the drying or seasoning process willnot in any way be disturbed in the remaining compartments of the shed,since all the compartments are completely separated from one another.

The spaces designated by 12 and 13, of course, are effectively utilizedfor drying wood except during the very periods when a wood bundle isbeing introduced into, or removed from the seasoning plant.

It is only the very principles of the invention which have beendescribed hereinbefore, and it is obvious to those skilled in the artthat many variations as regards its details may be made within the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wood-seasoning plant confined by a shed having vertical walls and asubstantially horizontal roof for treating wood suitably in the form ofbundles by means of heated air, said plant comprising a number of conveyors extending parallelly from one end of said shed to the other end,the roof being provided with an opening therein above one end of each ofsaid conveyors for enabling lowering said bundles vertically onto therespective conveyor and with another opening in the roof above the otherend of each of said conveyors for enabling lifting said bundlesvertically from the respective conveyor so as to allow operation of theplant with out access to said vertical walls, said openings beingprovided with closable doors open only upon loading or unloadingrespectively, and vertical partitions arranged delimiting adjacentconveyor sections and air channel sections and provided with heatingmeans and fan means for feeding heated air to the adjacent conveyorsection, said air channel sections having a structural height notexceeding the height of said conveyor sections and being in horizontalregister with the latter so as to obtain a minimum structural height ofthe plant.

2. A device for seasoning and drying wood comprising a shed having sidewalls and a substantially horizontal roof, partitions within said sheddividing the same into a plurality of compartments, a wall within eachcompartment dividing it into a drying tunnel and a horizontally lateral,contiguous and parallel passageway communicating with the drying tunnelat both ends, conveyor means within each drying tunnel for movingbundles ofwood to be treated from one end thereof to the other end, theroof being provided with a closable opening at each end of each dryingtunnel, through one of which openings the wood bundles are introducedinto the corresponding tunnel and through the other of which openingsthe Wood bundles are withdrawn, means within each lateral passageway forcirculating air through the corresponding tunnel in a direction oppositeto the direction of travel of the wood bundles through said tunnel, andheating means within each pasageway for heating the circulating air.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the openings in the roof ofthe shed are provided with hinged cover means for providing sealingclosures by gravity when in their lowered position.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said conveyor means comprisesa track provided in each tunnel and carriages supported on said trackupon which the bundles of wood are moved through the tunnel, saidcarriages being introduced into and removed from the tunnels through theelosable openings in the roof of the shed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS627,835 Wellman et a1 June 27, 1899 1,322,813 Parker Nov. 25, 19191,968,764 Harris July 31, 1934 15 2,790,250 Giroud Apr. 30, 1957 FOREIGNPATENTS 720,786 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1954

1. A WOOD-SEASONING PLANT CONFINED BY A SHED HAVING VERTICAL WALLS AND ASUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ROOF FOR TREATING WOOD SUITABLY IN THE FORM OFBUNDLES BY MEANS OF HEATED AIR, SAID PLANT COMPRISING A NUMBER OFCONVEYORS EXTENDING PARALLELLY FROM ONE END OF SAID SHED TO THE OTHEREND, THE ROOF BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING THEREIN ABOVE ONE END OFEACH OF SAID CONVEYORS FOR ENABLING LOWERING SAID BUNDLES VERTICALLYONTO THE RESPECTIVE CONVEYOR AND WITH ANOTHER OPENING IN THE ROOF ABOVETHE OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID CONVEYORS FOR ENABLING LIFTING SAIDBUNDLES VERTICALLY FROM THE RESPECTIVE CONVEYORS SO AS TO ALLOWOPERATION OF THE PLANT WITHOUT ACCESS TO SAID VERTICAL WALLS, SAIDOPENINGS BEING PROVIDED WITH CLOSABLE DOORS OPEN ONLY UPON LOADING ORUNLOADING RESPECTIVELY, AND VERTICAL PARTITIONS ARRANGED DELIMITINGADJACENT CONVEYOR SECTIONS AND AIR CHANNEL SECTIONS AND PROVIDED WITHHEATING MEANS AND FAN MEANS FOR FEEDING HEATED AIR TO THE ADJACENTCONVEYOR SECTION, SAID AIR CHANNEL SECTIONS HAVING A STRUCTURAL HEIGHTNOT EXCEEDING THE HEIGHT OF SAID CONVEYOR SECTIONS AND BEING INHORIZONTAL REGISTER WITH THE LATTER SO AS TO OBTAIN A MINIMUM STRUCTURALHEIGHT OF THE PLANT.